New Lourdes documentary shows a miracle of mercy

By Thomas Mirus and James Majewski ( bio - articles - email ) | Jun 29, 2021 | In Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast

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A new documentary on Lourdes, originally released in France in 2019, is now in theaters in the US. It is intensely moving and one of the best religious films in recent years. Written by a Catholic who used to care for the sick at Lourdes, it is an inside look at the spiritual and deeply human needs and aspirations that lead people to this place of miracles.

The film follows a a small selection of infirm individuals and their families making their way to Lourdes in hope of physical healing or spiritual consolation. These individuals are prompted to say their private prayers out loud, making visible their poverty and wounds, but also their hope in the power of the Lady who appeared to St. Bernadette in the grotto.

Particularly moving is the father of two very sick children, one of whom he brings to Lourdes with him. We see father and mother guiding their little boy in the ways of suffering and, even more, of intercessory prayer.

This film was James and Thomas’s first return to a movie theater after the pandemic, so they take some time to discuss how the theatrical experience differs from watching a movie at home. They also remark on the difference between documentary as a cinematic art form and documentary as a way of delivering information. Lourdes is definitely the former.

Links

Watch our interview with Lourdes writer Sixtine Leon-Dufour: https://youtu.be/Bywww0alMqw

Check here to find out where Lourdes is playing (including upcoming virtual screenings): https://www.distribfilmsus.com/portfolio/lourdes/

Want to bring LOURDES to your town? Contact Distrib Films (in Brooklyn). The contact is François Scippa—Kohn, who can be reached by email at [email protected]. www.distribfilmsus.com

Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tGC8lQOZuw

Music is The Duskwhales, “Take It Back”, used with permission. https://theduskwhales.bandcamp.com/